Q & A Time: Part # Who Knows.

Won't you join me for another edition of answering Bloggerotsky questions?



Deanna asks:
Hi Lauren. Would love to hear more about you and Seth.... how you met, etc.!!! If it's already on your blog, maybe you could just post the links?!!! :)



Deanna, I am so happy that you asked that particular question for a number of reasons. First of all, I love talking about Seth and if you give me an excuse to discuss him, it's even better!
Secondly, today, June 9, 2009 is the second anniversary of our very first date! So I'd be happy to fill you in on the details! Allow me the privilege of waxing nostalgic for a moment as I tell the story.


The short story is:
I baked him a pie.

The Long Story is:

I met Seth for the first time at Mi Pueblo, my very favorite restaurant. I was eating with my BFF Ashley. She knew SEth and he and his friend came to sit with us. I was in high school at the time. After that meal I told Ashley wasn't too sure what I thought about that guy. She assured me that he was awesome. I raised my eyebrows.


I left Mi Pueblo that afternoon not knowing what God had in store a few years down the road.



My friendship with Ashley continued and every once in a while she would mention something about her friend Seth and how nice he was. Her mom would also make comments. We were both active in the same Emmaus community and had a few mutual friends so I would hear his name. I can't explain how but I would think about him from time to time. "I wonder what he is up to these days." Perhaps a desire to get a new opinion of him since my friends all had such respect for him.
I didn't date at all in High School, which ended up being a very good thing for me. My freshman year at OCU, I got an email from a lady who attended FBC saying she had a guy she wanted me to meet.
Sweet! So I began emailing back and forth with the guy. After several emails, he asked me out. Turns out, he was the music director at FBC, where Seth was still serving as the youth pastor. While Brian made plans for our blind date, he solicited advice from his friends, including (you guessed it) Seth.
(I know I have a crazy life but what are the odds, people?)
I went out with Brian that night, and as life would so ironically have it, we saw Seth and a friend of mine walking down the street. Brian pulled over and we talked with them, and I remember thinking that his eyes looked very kind--I know, pass the cheese-- and he was very nice to me. I remember thinking that maybe I had "that guy" pegged wrong.

After my one and only date with Brian, I knew it wasn't the right fit. He loved the Lord but we were in very different stages of life. As life would again hand out the irony, Brian went on to meet a great girl named Summer and they lived happily ever after as SETH performed their wedding ceremony.

haha.

Why yes, I am That Girl.

Fast forward through a few more years, one heartbreak, missions, more school, a call to ministry, and a cancer diagnosis. In April of 2007 Seth and I were asked to work the same retreat. At the first meeting, we did a 'get-to-know-you' game. I really had a desire to know him better, so I walked over and he then was my partner. We each had to talk for a minute about ourselves. I told him about K, H, and E and he told me about his dog, Angie. He seemed really nice! We had a delightful little conversation and I was sure he was a good man. I ended up in Seth's prayer group. We all shared prayer concerns (he may sell my new domain name and kill me for this, but) and Seth asked us to pray because he wanted to find someone with whom to share his life-someone who would have a passion for serving people and ministry.

I died and went to Heaven right there.

Later that week I discussed with my BFF Jami how cute I thought he was and what he had said. Then I got out the directory and paced back and forth trying to figure out a way to call him. I decided I would call "ALL" the people in my prayer group and see how they were doing. I had never done that before or since. I was SO NERVOUS when I called him because I didn't want to sound like a freak (like every other moment of my life--he's QUITE used to it now, I think), and I just asked him how I could keep him in prayer this week and just to see how things were going. Utterly lame, I know. He was like, "Well, just what I told you this week pretty much." It took every ounce of self-control I had not to say, "Honey, I have heard you preach and I would like to be the answer to your prayers."

I got off the phone, looked at Jami who was there for moral support and said, "Welp, I blew that. He thinks I am a total whackjob."

Little did I know that Seth asked his roommate that night about me. Including if I was single.

During the retreat he always came to talk to me or to see if I needed any help. We bonded over funny stuff and ministry and Caedmon's Call's best album ever. Most of all we bonded over Jesus and His love for us.

Ashley and I schemed after the retreat, and we invited him to Mi Pueblo-where else, no wonder Mexican soap operas are so popular- with a bunch of other "friends" for no reason in particular we said. He showed up and said that he thought women could do anything men could do in ministry. I think that song "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight" may have come on my mental jukebox. We started texting that night and I became That Girl to the people in the church community where he served. They desperately wanted to figure out who That Girl Seth is always texting was.

Through our "conversations" I learned that Seth is a big fan of pie. One morning I got up DETERMINED to bless him. So I got out the recipes and I whipped up a pretty fantastic strawberry pie. I called him up, drove to Office Max where he was, and said this AWESOME line.
"Um. Hi. Umm, I brought, I made you this pie. HERE!" I basically threw it into his arms.

He liked the pie. The next week I happened to have a roommate working at the camp the same week as Seth, so I drove up to see her (haha) and happened to run into Seth. Then I happened to give him a bag of Chex Mix. I am such a believer of winning the heart through the stomach. Can you tell?

It paid off. Seth invited me to a friend's barbecue (it may or may not have been on facebook if you want to know the truth...).
We sat on this sweet little swing and talked until we looked up finally and realized we were the last ones there. That was two years ago today.



And that was the end of the beginning.



Now that Deanna and everyone else who reads this blog is so incredibly glad she asked that question (i just didn't want to leave anything out!), let's go to the cyber-mailbag for another question.

Savannah asks:
How are you always so positive? It's....so hard for me to do! Any advice or verses you use?

Savannah, I am certainly not "ALWAYS" so positive. Just like everyone else on earth, I have my moments when I feast on the anxiety and negativity that this world has to offer. I have always been a person who enjoys life, and I think it's hard to have fun in the water if you are always looking around for who peed in the pool, so to speak. Honestly, since my mom's death I have realized how important it is to live every moment completely and not to waste it dwelling on what I DON'T have or what I am NOT. Instead I can count my blessings and focus on what God HAS given me.
That's a double-edged sword because since her death, although I understand the importance, I have found it hard to be as positive as I was before. I am not making excuses. I am only saying I want to get back to the place where my mind does not go to the negative immediately. Even if I don't voice that and give off the air of remaining positive, the battle is lost in my mind.

Negativity steals the joy God has so richly given us. I have made up my mind that I don't have time to lose or throw away, and having a negative attitude does both. God's word tells us in Ecclesiastes:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

If that's the case, and eternity has been set in my heart, does this light and momentary affliction really affect me that greatly in the light of forever?
Probably not.
And has He not suffered and endured in greater things for me than I will ever face in this life?

John 16:33 convinces me that there is nothing that can get in my way of living and loving if I put Jesus as the center of my life. Furthermore, if He is for me, who can be against me? Plus, what does complaining and pining for what I don't have get me except a lot less friends and an ulcer? It doesn't change anything. It only makes me miserable.

A line from Martina McBride says it best:
I've come to know/that the world won't change just 'cause I complain/let the axis twirl/I'm a happy girl.
Hope that answers your question a little bit!


Jenn wants to know about my jamz.
I love your playlist! I even have some of the same songs on my playlist. You seem to have quite a diverse mix...what is your favorite kind of music?

Oh girl. First of all let me just say a great big thank you for noticing because I lurve me some music. My favorite musician is Dave Barnes. My favorite genre is definitely singer-songwriter acoustic stuff. Is that even a genre, you may ask? Yes. It is because I just decided it was just now. I also love Sandra McCracken and Derek Webb. Give me some U2 and a Coca-Cola Classic and I'm one gleeful chick. Bring on the Patty Griffin with a side of Bebo Norman and for dessert, Bethany Dillon and Shane and Shane. Let's not forget the Taylor Swift with a twist of Watermark (christy nockels--that girl can SAAANG) as well as a hint of Hillsong United and let's add some Abba for good measure. While we're at it, why don't we add a little Johnny and June and some TobyMac to the party? Let's keep it real with Charlie Hall and Tenth Avenue North. I am groovin' to Jimmy Needham and Aretha. Throw a little old-school Point of Grace (they're still pure awesomeness after all these years) and some Leeland and you've got yourself a heck of a playlist.

As you can see, I really enjoy almost all genres of music. I always keep in mind that just because it may not have the label Christian on it does not limit God's use of it in my life. Truth and beauty can be found in lots of unexpected places.




Thanks for sticking around to the end and for all of your questions, faithful ones. I love you more than I love The Goonies and hot tamales.

Just Give Me One Moment in Time...

...to gush about this guy, who thought it would be a good idea to write me a note for every day I was on the retreat.


{it was.}

All those Junior High (alright, and High School, and most of college) days and nights when I cried to my mommy and said, "IwillnevermeetaniceguywholovesJesusandwhowantstodatemeEVER!!!" have been proved wrong. glory//hallelujah.


he also happens to be really hot. BONUS.

:D

__________________________________________________________________

...to say that I NOW can prove there are more lurking bloggerotsky out there--I only have 29 followers but there have been many more hits than that today...come out of hiding and be free in your love for That Girl's hapless daily grind.



Okay, okay, not that free. I wouldn't want our friendship to get creepy or anything.


__________________________________________________________________

...to tell you that on mondays I get really really overwhelmed because I pretty much never read blogs on weekends because
1) I am almost always on the road speaking at churches and doing ministry
2) Sometimes a weekend hiatus from some things technological is good for my mind, body, and spirit.

I get overwhelmed at the sheer number of blogs I have to catch up on. Yes, some of them are like Y and R or As The World Turns because not much changes in a couple of days, but just like my friends hooked on soaps I can't help but turn in. Does anyone else feel this way?

_________________________________________________________________

I read something in a magazine (trust me, I didn't buy the magazine, I flipped through it at lunch--my mistake) that made me so irate today. It was an article about Jon+Kate and it was so heartbreaking. I was angered by an "Anonymous" source who attends church with them basically saying he/she didn't like them and didn't think they would stay married much longer.

As believers it is our responsibility to GUARD one another in Christ Jesus. The fact that someone who is a professing Christian would speak so negatively of a brother and sister being completely slandered in the media made me sick to my stomach. How quickly we shoot our wounded and throw them like garbage to the side and then wonder why no one wants to be a Christian.

Let me tell you, if I had every mistake, or bad word, or thing that I had said or done wrong plastered on the cover of a magazine (like I don't plaster them all over this blog or anything...), I would hope that my church would be a place of refuge and not a place of great condemnation and venomous words. Matthew 18 tells us that if we have a problem with another believer, we should go to him/her and try to rectify the situation. I am working toward getting better at that.
The world is watching us, especially when we talk about others. If we hear gossip, let's try to put it down in a conversation and if we can't, let's refocus our time and energy in another direction. I know old habits die hard, but it's time for the Body of Christ to use our speech to encourage others instead of tearing down everything about them. Should Jon + Kate have gone on TV? I don't know but it's a little too late for that conversation. We need to be praying for their marriage and praying for God to do something really incredible that will lead people to Jesus instead of talking about what they have done wrong and what a shame it is.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Ephesians 4:29

Okay, so that took more than One Moment in Time. So another song lyric to reward you:

Please forgive me, I know not what I do, please forgive me, I can't stop loving you, Bloggerotsky.

That Girl Moment #864: "HAT Girl."

If any of you have ever seen the Disney program "Wizards of Waverly Place" then you know about the special hat song Selena Gomez and her BFF love to sing.

It goes a little somethin' like this:












in case you didn't catch those peotically electrifying lyrics, here they are.

What's that?
A hat.
A crazy funky junky hat!
Overslept
hair unsightly
trying to look like Keira Knightley.
We've been there
we've done that
we see right through your funky hat!

(hey, people, just cause I love me some Wizaahds of Wavuhwy Pwace, as my niece Hannah used to call it, does NOT mean that I am heathen who believes in magic. Oh, that reminds me of a song....doyoubelieveinmagicinayounggirlsheart? dah dah dee dah dah...)


So why am I sharing this song with you?
That Girl, a la hat.



Today I was running late to my eight am class (what's new: the earth would collapse if I got someplace on time) as usual, and the night before I wore a hat to church. Said hat was found in the back of my Gnome Village car. It's the cutest little plaidish Vurt hat...looks great with my brown shirt.

Since I was running late due to (gasp) procrastination on a paper, I didn't shower this morning. Now I would like to say in my own defense, my beautiful friend Brooke can go a blasted WEEK without washing her hair and she still could grace the cover of People.

not me.

My hair looked like the Clampetts might strike gold on my scalp, if you know what I mean. Texas Tea. It was oily, brothers and sisters. Oily=lack of volume. I was giving off the poor seminary street urchin vibe, alright?

Well, what's That Girl to do?

Mother Nature leaves me with no real options. But Pac Sun doesn't fail! So I plopped my Vurt hat on the oil slick and darted out the door. I arrived at my Psychological Foundations of christian Education class at promptly 8:08 am (early for me, folks) and sat down to learn with, as they say, a spirit of idealism and charity.

Fast forward two hours of this three hour class. The moment arrives.

The That Girl Moment.

oy vey.

Someone raps on our classroom door. It's none other than Dr. Ray Barber.

woops.
I mean President Ray Barber. As in, university-president-who-is-greatly-respected-highly-admired-and-hired-that-girl-unassumingly.

But it's not just President Barber. Filing in the classroom behind him were two men.

one of which held a VIDEO camera in his hand.

President Barber greeted us and asked if he could interview us on camera for the Oak Leaf Society Banquet. This is the humdinger of all the banquets, where they thank all those who donate to OCU. Some of them give (and I'm grateful) a lot of Benjamins to see that I get a quality education. (insert That Girl's most elegant curtsy.) This year, Dr. Barber wants to show a video of real-live students who benefit from the generosity of the Oak Leaf attendees.

let's just say I didn't disappoint with the "real-live" aspect of his little documentary. I think artists and moviemakers call it "gritty."

I apologized to him and said if I knew he was coming I would have dressed up. The sweet Godly man tried to make me feel better, but we both know he sees right through my funky hat. I now face the Epic dilemma:
take off the hat and reveal not only the aforementioned oil slick, but bad hat hair to boot, or leave the hat on and risk offending some Oak Leaf folk. I left it on. I didn't want the video camera to bust its lens from the gleam of my TREMENDOUSLY OILY shiny hair. Yah gots tah do whatcha gots tah do.

The interview, aside from my disheveled and lackluster appearance, went very productively and I got to share part of why I love OCU. I didn't tell them I enjoy OCU for the eight o'clock classes because that would have been an extraordinary falsehood. Obviously. He sees right through my funky hat.

ahem.

After class, I had a few minutes to kill so I jumped in the shower and did a quick blowdry on the hair. I changed out my jeans and t-shirt since I was heading to work. On my way into the building, who am I greeted by?

yep. you guessed it.

Doc should his head at me and laughed. "Now you get all dressed up!" he said. He told my boss, Jim, about it and we all had a good laugh. I said I'd totally be up for preparing a take they can actually use on Oak Leaf night.
sans hat.
Jim reminded me that I would be forced to watch my own self, funky hat and all, at the Oak Leaf dinner, which I was invited to attend at the behest of said stately and dignified Prez. (that's a big, filet mignon, kind of deal.)
For a moment, I was petrified. Frozen in fear. Not only will everyone be able to see right through my funky hat, I will be sitting among them as they do so. Worse, the camera adds ten lbs. or thirty-five if you ask me.

Then, it came to me like a beacon in the night.

I will be all decked out in my cute black dress that night, so maybe no one will recognize me. The last thing I need is a moniker like Hat Girl.


'cause after all, it's rough enough being That Girl.

Not the Place for Politics.

The big Washington bullies should leave Bristol Palin alone. The big Washington bullies should leave Sasha and Malia Obama alone, too.

I am not apolitical. I have many political opinions, and I refuse to discuss the majority of them here because this blog is not about politics. However, the children of candidates are not a partisan issue. They are not a bipartisan issue. They are children, trying to make good choices in the face of paparazzi and unimaginable media scrutiny.

These children do not create nor do they enact policies of any kind. They are young ladies who are trying to lead normal lives in a frenzied media circus where everything is being picked apart by the appallingly venomous ways of the politico.

They didn't ask for this. I pray for them. You should too.

Amazing Drama.

no, not that kind of drama. You guys know me better than that.


THIS kind of drama...to one of my all-time favorite songs:

I dare you to watch the whole thing. It may make you weep at the end as it reveals God's goodness to "that girl." and this one, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA&feature=related

Can someone tell me how to actually put it on my site? Thanks. :)

Lyrics with Lauren: Body by...Jesus (!) Edition.

did I really just write that title?


Saaahhh---ryyyy.

yes, I am young enough to remember "Body by Jake." He was this very muscular, almost uncomfortable-looking man whose mission was to make us more fit and to make himslf a whole lot of moolah. Something tells me when he's eighty he may not look like he used to back in his heyday.

Now that I have been thinking about it (trying to write that talk) there is only one Body that has survived the last two thousand years. The body of Christ.

That's just a teaser for the real deal in a few weeks.



So with the Body of Christ in mind, I have picked a winner for today's edition of Lyrics with Lauren.


If you have never listened to Derek Webb, don't start unless you want to be convicted, challenged, and sometimes offended. This guy will challenge you to be absolutely MESSED UP for the Gospel and Christ's Body.

Without Further Ado... (Webb is known for colorful language so prepare yourself. His music is not for the easily offended..or maybe it is, but they won't listen...hmmm.)

The Church
by Derek Webb

I have come with one purpose
To capture for myself a bride
By my life she is lovely
By my death she's justified
I have always been her husband
Though many lovers she has known
So with water i will wash her
And by my word alone
So when you hear the sound of the water
You will know you're not alone

Cause I haven't come for only you
But for my people to pursue
You cannot care for me with no regard for her
If you love me you will love the church

I have long pursued her
As a harlot and a whore
But she will feast upon me
She will drink and thirst no more
So when you taste my flesh and my blood
You will know you're not alone

Cause I haven't come for only you
But for my people to pursue
You cannot care for me with no regard for her
If you love me you will love the church

There is none that can replace her
Though there are many who will try
And though some may be her bridesmaids
They can never be my bride

Lyrics with Lauren: Valentine Edition

Hi everyone.

One more day(!!)

I am so seriously stoked about Valentine's Day I decided to post a very special song for you. If you have never heard The Fray (they sing that really catchy cable car song and how to save a life-two amazing songs that i think have both been in the top five), then you need to. Anyway, I digress. But their best song is a love song. And a really good love song. Maybe the best one I have ever heard.

here it is (click on the Title of this blog and you can hear it...DO THIS FOR FULL EFFECT, please.)

Look After You

If I don't say this now
I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one I want to take
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
Be my baby
Be my baby
I'll look after you
There now, steady love,
so few come and don't go
Will you won't you,
be the one I'll always know
When I'm losing my control,
the city spins around
You're the only one who knows
to slow it down
Be my baby
Be my Baby
I'll look after you
And I'll look after you
If ever there was a doubt
My love she leans into me
This most assuredly counts
She says most assuredly
Be my baby
I'll look after you
After You
Be my baby
It's always have and never hold
You've begun to feel like home
What's mine is yours to leave or take
What's mine is yours to make your own
Be my baby
I'll look after you

Live version has a cover of You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker at the end...studio version is my favorite.)

dedication: you know who you are...

by the way, Terri got me a sweet Valentine package yesterday and I almost peed my pants right there in her kitchen from sheer excitement! thankyouverymuch. also, a shout-out to Andi Hart. (appropriate for Feb. 13 due to her last name...) she told me she likes to read "that girl" and it brightened my day. Hey Andi!!

I know everyone out there in blog world wants to know why in the heck i love this gosh-darned holiday so much...tomorrow I will explain, so stay tuned!

Let's see what God says:

Love one another deeply from the heart. I Peter 1:22

Zac Efron's Appearance at Cox Hall and Other Strange Happenings of the Day.

The girls at Cox Hall made out with Zac Efron (think High School Musical) tonight. Now, GBR, I know what you are thinking: "I thought Laur ran that place with a solid moral compass! what happened to modesty?"

well, great news. They didn't actually make out with him per se.

Instead, they planted smooches on his magazined face while blindfolded. YES, tonight my girls played pin the kiss on Zac Efron. WOW. I couldn't believe it myself.

ew ew ew ew ew ew.

ew. he is soooo overrated.

However, that can mean only one thing: My favorite holiday is coming because we definitely had a Valentine's Day Party at Cox Hall tonight. Leigha and Heather did a supremely legit job handling the party, which included the aformentioned game as well as valentine-making contest, a BINGO game, and a V-Day quiz. All of this has really gotten me excited, considering that there are only two more days until my favorite holiday! everyone get ready. not to mention, I have a hot date that's completely a surprise [although i plan to figure it out and crack the code soon...as always:] with my sweet and charming boyfriend.

yay!

I am also watching one of the most romantic movies ever made...which happens to be directed by another Ephron...(NORA, that is.)

love it!

a little snippet for you:
Joe Fox: Don't cry, Shopgirl. Don't cry.

Kathleen Kelly: I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.

by the way, my roommate made a really, really cool valentine with my help tonight. It had the Loch Ness monster and it said "Our Hearts are Loch-ed together."

Even Nessie loves her some V-DAY!

Grey's Quote of the Week.

a quote from the heathen show I love...

"Communication. It's the first thing we really learn in life. Funny thing is, once we grow up, learn our words and really start talking the harder it becomes to know what to say. Or how to ask for what we really need."
-Dr. Meredith Grey.

Thursday Morning Mind Dump.

• Dang. I am TIRED. The past couple of nights, my roommate Rachel and I have stayed up way too late solving all of the world's problems.
• If Romney really does drop out, I am gonna be mad. What happened to the days of not knowing the candidate until the convention?? yuck.
• I have a love/hate relationship with Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think I am spoiled rottem by the fact that I only have one class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
• I can't wait for the SCA Women's Bible Study RETREAT.
• VALENTINE'S DAY=7 days to go!!! (My favorite holiday...weird, but I will fill you in on that in a later post...)
• I have finally made some decisions (cringe, I hate doing that) and some of them are going to require a whole lot of faith. (more on this later...) oy vey. God spoke to me the spring of my freshman year and told me we were going to have an adventure together....We are still on that adventure, but my youthful trust is slowly becoming more of an adult practicality (which I despise...) so I am less inclined to think "adventure=fun!!" oy vey again.
• If anyone knows of a fantastic local employment opportunity, please let me know. For summer, needs to be flexible because I am going to Haiti for a week in June.
• Selena made me the best cd EVER this week. I will post the playlist later but trust me--it's life-changing. and she is a great sister.
• This is the column for my add friends that want to know what's up for me. Not that they read this far...
• I need to do grocery shopping.
• Terri T. is really cool.
• Shout out to Jami for shaping young minds today.
• Ann Romney has serious hair volume. (watching CNN)
• that's all, folks.

CNN + Religion (?)

Raise your hand if you are excited about watching the CNN special "God's Warriors" featuring the research of the famed journalist Christiane Amanpour. Mine's up!

CNN has been advertising this special regularly, and my curiosity has definitely been piqued. The first part of the special, which focuses on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (that's it as far as I know...) will air tomorrow night, and Amanpour will be on Larry King Live tonight to talk about her research and the special as a whole. I am very interested to see how Christians, Jews, and Muslims are portrayed by a journalist I greatly respect. It's worth watching.

Sorry for my lack of blog ethic the past few days, but my reasons are legit, I promise. We have been preparing for everyone to move into the dorm (and with girls you can imagine what that's like...) and serving them in any way we can. I can already see God moving and my staff is passionate about creating an environment that the young women feel comfortable in. It's exciting to see them hang out in the lobby (today it was to watch High School Musical 2, they are also passionate about that for sure! hee hee) and want to build relational channels that will hopefully encourage them and spur them "on toward love and good deeds." (see Hebrews for details.)

Tune in tomorrow for Eve Ensler in Glamour...Lauren's impressed with a fashion mag?? Yes, it's true. You'll have to read to believe.